Consumers Energy
Circuits and the Flow of Electricity Lesson Plan
I think I lost an electron. Are you sure? Yes, I'm positive! Starting with a hands-on demonstration and problem solving activity, young scientists define vocabulary related to circuitry and currents. Then they build their own circuits...
Curated OER
Orienting a Photovoltaic Cell
By mounting a light bulb on a stand and a PV cell on another, physics apprentices experiment with the angle of incidence. Their goal is to determine the optimum angle for collecting solar energy. The use of a scientific calculator...
Curated OER
Series or Parallel?
Emerging electricians extend mental models of light bulbs and resistors in series and or in parallel circuits to include the connection of photovoltaic cells in arrays. They investigate open circuits, using a DC voltmeter, a light...
Teach Engineering
Human Power
How many humans does it take to power a light bulb? The 10th part of a 25-lesson Energy Systems and Solutions unit has learners conduct an experiment to calculate power. They then use the results to determine how many classmates they...
Curated OER
Light Bulb Santa
Students create light bulb Santa's using old light bulbs, acrylic paints, ribbon, and cords in this art lesson for the second through eighth grade classroom. This is a great activity to do before winter break. A picture of the final...
Curated OER
Fun with Circuits
What kinds of things need electricity to work? Kids draw the missing parts to three incomplete circuits in a learning exercise about power and electricity. The science exploration asks them to build a circuit to a light bulb, but this...
Curated OER
Inventions- The Impact
Students investigate inventions and the impact they can have on people. In this technology lesson, students research Thomas Edison and discuss how the invention of the light bulb impacted others. Students sketch out an invention they...
Curated OER
The Science of Color and Light
Students listen to a story about colors and then conduct various experiments to determine how people see colors, identify which colors stand out best from a distance, show the results of mixed colored lighting and explain the phenomenon...
University of Florida
The Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip
Energize a shared reading of the Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip with this collection of supplemental materials. Whether your looking for discussion questions, reading comprehension worksheets, or writing prompts,...
Physics Classroom
Know Your Potential
Never underestimate potential—electric or your own. Scholars apply a color scheme based on the changes in electric potential as part of a series on electric circuits. They consider splitting wires, light bulb placement, and voltage as...
Curated OER
Let There Be Light
Young scholars observe that different lights have different effects on matter. Students see that ultraviolet light is powerful although it cannot be seen through this teacher led demo-experiment.
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #3 Parts of a Solar Panel - Part I
A solar cell is similar to a rechargeable battery in many ways. Science lab groups connect each in a series circuit to run a mini motor and then compare and contrast them by answering questions and completing a Venn diagram. This is an...
It's About Time
The Chemical Behavior of Atoms
Assist your class with this colorful activity as students view and interpret changes in the hydrogen atom. They discuss concepts of the electromagnetic spectrum and use Bohr's model to predict wavelengths and light patterns,...
Curated OER
The Path of Electrons
Young scholars engage in an interactive "hot potato" demonstration to gain an appreciation for the flow of electrons through a circuit. They role play the different parts of a simple circuit and send small items representing electrons...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Series and Parallel Circuits
Students demonstrate simple circuits and find the differences between parallel and serial circuits. For this electronic lesson plan students work in teams to test different designs using a low voltage light bulb.
Curated OER
Habitable Zones
Learners focus on stellar luminosities to estimate size of habitable zones, map out habitable zone around hot light bulbs that serve as models of stars, investigate how size of model "habitable zone" around light bulbs depends on...
Curated OER
The Impact
Students investigate the impact inventions have on people. In this technology lesson, students explore inventions, such as the light bulb, and identify ways the invention impacted society. Students design a simple project that could...
Center Science Education
Plugged In To CO2
Watt is going on here? Middle schoolers are learning about energy use and carbon dioxide emissions! In the first part of this lesson, learners measure how much energy different appliances consume and calculate the amount per day. In...
National Wildlife Federation
Wherefore Art Thou, Albedo?
In the sixth lesson plan in a series of 21, scholars use NASA data to graph and interpret albedo seasonally and over the course of multiple years. This allows learners to compare albedo trends to changes in sea ice with connections to...
It's About Time
Color
How can a hand puppet's shadow look like a dog? The lesson explains the science behind shadows, combining paint colors and the colors used in old televisions. Scholars use white, red, blue, and green lights to experiment with colors...
It's About Time
Exploring Energy Resource Concepts
Please turn off the lights to conserve energy. Or not, after all energy is always conserved. This first lesson in an eight-part series includes three parts. Part A contains one hands-on activity and two inquiry-based experiments on heat...
Teach Engineering
Introduction to Circuits and Ohm's Law
Take a very basic understanding of circuits and develop a strong understanding of the parts and function of a circuit. This activity is developed to be an independent exploration of circuits from the basics to series and parallel models....
Teach Engineering
Exploring Energy: Energy Conversion
The energy is not really lost, it is just converted to a different form. Pupils learn about the conversion of energy in the fifth segment of an energy unit with six parts. Learners develop an understanding of the conservation of energy...
Cornell University
Making a Battery
Don't be shocked when your class has a blast making their own batteries! Science scholars examine a dry cell battery, then design and construct a wet cell battery. The activity guides them through the parts of a battery, the variables...